ABSTRACT
HIV and AIDS has exacerbated the vulnerability of orphaned
children who are suffering in a vicious cycle of
poverty, food insecurity, lack of access to education,
and insecure livelihoods.
Moreover, orphaned children are exposed to various
forms of abuse by close family members, many of whom
are their guardians. Movable and immovable properties
that are left by their deceased parents are often
confiscated by such guardians. Consequently, orphaned
children suffer, not only from material impoverishment,
but also from emotional impoverishment due to negligence
by their close family members.
Secure property and inheritance rights to children
can provide the basis for their livelihoods, sense
of belonging and future after the death of their
parents. It cannot be overemphasized that secure
property rights are the single most important rights
of children in the era of AIDS. Yet, children's property
and inheritance rights have not been given sufficient
attention.
This paper investigates children's rights to property
and inheritance rights as well as local people's interpretation
of children's rights to property in selected communities
in Zimbabwe as a case study. It analyses the impact
of HIV and AIDS on children's rights to property and
community responses to property grabbing. The study
is an attempt to unpack the complex realities of children's
rights to property on the ground. By doing so, the
paper provides concrete recommendations to policy
makers and development agencies on what should be
done to protect and strengthen children's rights to
property. It is our hope that this paper will be the
messenger of the children who were interviewed under
the study and that our work can contribute to the
protection of property rights and the livelihoods
of many other children in the near future.
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